Christine Korsgaard's "Fellow Creatures" argues for a new understanding of human moral obligations toward other animals. It contends that animals, by virtue of their sentience and the capacities they possess for their own lives, merit moral consideration and impose duties upon us. This perspective challenges traditional philosophical views that have often excluded non-human animals from the domain of moral concern.
The book establishes that animals have inherent worth, not derived from their utility to humans, and that this worth generates specific moral requirements for how we should treat them. Readers will learn about the philosophical basis for extending moral status to non-human beings, and the practical implications of this stance for our interactions with the animal kingdom.
Key concepts
- Moral relationships to other animals — The book offers a novel philosophical perspective on the duties and responsibilities humans have towards non-human animals.
- Sentience — The capacity of animals to feel or perceive things, which Korsgaard uses as a basis for moral consideration.
- Inherent worth — The intrinsic value that animals possess, independent of their usefulness to humans.